Football

Franklin’s West and O’Rourke Headline All-HCAC Football Selections

Nov 16, 2011

GREENWOOD, IN – Franklin College placed 10 players on the 2011 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference All-Conference First Team, including the conference's Offensive and Defensive Most Valuable Players. Franklin's Jonny West (Avon, Ind./Speedway) has been named the HCAC Offensive Most Valuable Player for the first time, while David O'Rourke (Evansville, Ind./Memorial) picked up the HCAC Defensive Most Valuable Player award. Grizzlies' head coach Mike Leonard garnered Coach of the Year honors for the fifth time in his career.

Manchester's Kyle Evans (Winamac, Ind./West Central) was honored as Special Teams Most Valuable Player for 2011, while his teammate Corey Nelson (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) was selected as Freshman of the Year this fall. The Spartans placed five players on the All-HCAC First Team.

West, a sophomore quarterback for the Grizzlies, threw for 3,144 yards this season to help his team win an outright HCAC title for the fourth time in five years and earn a bid to the NCAA playoffs. The sophomore completed 62.9% (237-377) of his passes for a 152.3 passing efficiency. West averaged a league-best 314.4 passing yards per game (6th NCAA) and tossed 30 touchdowns to pilot the conference's top offensive attack. The Avon, Indiana native crossed the 300 yard mark passing six times during the season, including a 448 yard effort against NCAA Championship Subdivision affiliate Valparaiso.

O'Rourke, a senior defensive lineman for Franklin, led the Grizzlies defense in a quest for a HCAC title this season. The senior led the conference with nine sacks and finished fourth in the league with 11.0 tackles for loss. The Evansville, Indiana native contributed two fumble recoveries and added two interceptions this season, while posting 56 total tackles. As a team, Franklin ranked fifth in the conference in total defense (359.3 ypg) and second in scoring defense (22.3 ppg).

Nelson, a freshman running back and kick returner for Manchester, played in all 10 games for the Spartans this season. The freshman led the squad with 662 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns on 123 carries. He also added 341 kickoff return yards, including an 83 yard return for a touchdown against Hanover.

Franklin head coach Mike Leonard has been selected as the HCAC Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career. He guided the Grizzlies to their fourth conference title and a 9-1 overall record. The Grizzlies finished alone in first place in the HCAC with a perfect 8-0 mark. The only loss this season for FC was a 45-0 defeat to No. 1 ranked Wis.-Whitewater. No. 17 ranked Franklin opens the NCAA Playoffs Saturday at home against No. 20 Thomas More at 12:00 PM.